Vehicle suspensions utilize components such as springs and shock absorbers to improve vehicle ride characteristics by accommodating variations in road surfaces. There are many different types of vehicle suspensions including mechanical suspensions and air suspensions. Mechanical suspensions utilize components such as leaf springs, for example, while air suspensions utilize air springs.
Air suspensions provide improved performance characteristics compared to traditional mechanical suspensions. Air suspensions offer improved mobility and ride characteristics, as well as providing many beneficial functions that cannot be accommodated by mechanical suspensions. Due to these improved performance characteristics, air suspensions have been widely adopted in commercial vehicle markets.
However, air suspensions have not traditionally been utilized for harsh condition or severe duty applications such as military applications, for example. One concern with air suspensions in these types of applications is air spring integrity. The air springs are typically made from a resilient material, such as rubber for example, which could be susceptible to rupturing. Munitions or other military obstacles, such as razor wire for example, could snag or pierce the air spring causing the air spring to deflate, which consequently adversely affects suspension performance.
For the above reasons, it would be desirable to provide an air suspension with air springs that are protected from harsh external environments.